Stephen Brown
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stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown
@stephenbrown.bsky.social
520 followers 280 following 38 posts

Professor of Political Science at the University of Ottawa / Professeur de science politique à l'Université d'Ottawa. He/him/il. https://stephenbrown.xyz

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stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · 13d
📣 New publication on LGBTQI+ activism in Botswana and how they succeded in overturning the colonial-era law banning same-sex sexual relations: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... #OpenAccess 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🌍
Journal article title and abstract: "The decriminalization of same-sex relations in Botswana: National, regional and international dimensions of LGBTQI+ activism". by Stephen Brown, University of Ottawa, Canada This article examines the first instance in the past 25 years of the decriminalization of same-sex relations in Africa via strategic litigation. It asks: What are the main factors that contributed to decriminalization in Botswana in 2019? What relative role did national, regional and international actors play? Drawing in part on interviews with key actors and observers in Southern Africa, it argues that Botswanan LGBTQI+ activists’ efforts outside the courtroom played a key role. They mobilized crucial support, expertise and financial resources of allies at home and elsewhere in Southern Africa, with some financial assistance from the Southern African affiliate of an international philanthropic network. Nonetheless, national activists maintained ownership of the process. The case thus contradicts assumptions in the literature that when human rights activists obtain assistance from transnational activist networks, the aid comes from the Global North and the international actors dominate the process.

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · 5d
Human rights and Canadian foreign policy under Mark Carney: “They won’t say out loud (that) we’re going to be less interested in values, but clearly that seems to be the case” www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art... @withfilesfrom.bsky.social
Human rights in question over Carney’s foreign policy shift to trade, security
As Prime Minister Mark Carney puts trade and security at the centre of Canada’s foreign policy, observers say Ottawa is also shifting how it asserts its values on the world stage.
www.ctvnews.ca

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · 5d
Les droits humains et la politique étrangère canadienne sous Mark Carney : « Ils ne diront pas ouvertement que nous allons nous soucier moins des valeurs, mais c’est clairement ce qui semble se produire » www.lapresse.ca/actualites/p... @withfilesfrom.bsky.social
Commerce et sécurité | La politique étrangère de Carney critiquée sur ses valeurs
Alors que le premier ministre Mark Carney place le commerce et la sécurité au cœur de la politique étrangère canadienne, les observateurs constatent qu’Ottawa modifie également sa façon d’affirmer ses...
www.lapresse.ca

Reposted by Stephen Brown

enriqueanartelazo.bsky.social
Enrique Anarte @enriqueanartelazo.bsky.social · 8d
"It's a crisis like we've never seen before."

I wrote about this year's global LGBTQ+ rights funding crisis, how it has impacted queer individuals and communities on the ground, and who's doing something about it:
How LGBTQ+ rights funding collapsed in 2025 | Context by TRF
The U.S. and other countries cut funding for LGBTQ+ rights as a global backlash spreads, but activists vow to keep up their work
www.context.news

Reposted by Stephen Brown

matthewwaites.bsky.social
Matthew Waites (he or they) @matthewwaites.bsky.social · 18d
Two PhD student funded opportunities on international LGBTIQ+ issues in relation to humanitarian actions, at Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) in Germany. Share! www.ifhv.de
IFHV - Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict / Chair for Public Law and International Law
Ruhr-Universität Bochum Bachelor Master degree programmes excellence in research diversity in international contacts Humanitarian Action Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict war...
www.ifhv.de

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · 18d
In response to the growing backlash against international LGBTQI+ rights and other aid donors' waning support, Norway is increasing its funding in this area. A good example for other countries, such as Canada, to follow. www.norad.no/en/news/news...
Norway Strengthens International Efforts to Promote LGBTQ+ Rights | Norad.no
Norway is increasing its support to organisations working to advance LGBTQ+ rights, including efforts to combat violence and discrimination. Norad is entering new agreements with the Norwegian organis...
www.norad.no

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Dec 5
Job ad for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Environment and Security at the School of Political Studies, uOttawa / Annonce pour une Chaire de recherche du Canada de niveau 2 en Environnement et sécurité à l'École d'études politiques, uOttawa

uottawa.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/uOttaw...
Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Environment and Security
Posting Reason: New Position Job Family: Academic Leadership and Faculty Union affiliation: APUO Faculty/Department: School of Political Studies_FT Campus: Social Sciences Building Date Posted (YYYY/M...
uottawa.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com

Reposted by Matthew Waites

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Dec 5
🚨 New article: "LGBTQI+ People and the ‘Triple Nexus’ of Development Cooperation, Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding", co-authored with Morgane Rosier and Dennis Dijkzeul, available via open access at journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... 🌍 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ #LGBTQResearch
LGBTQI+ People and the ‘Triple Nexus’ of Development Cooperation, Humanitarian Action and Peacebuilding - Morgane Rosier, Stephen Brown, Dennis Dijkzeul, 2025
Since the mid-2010s, scholars and practitioners have been increasingly interested in the integration of development cooperation, humanitarian action and peacebu...
journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by Stephen Brown

cepi-cips.bsky.social
CIPS / CÉPI @cepi-cips.bsky.social · Nov 28
📢New blog by Stephen Brown - The Demise of Canada’s Feminist Foreign Policy

Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered the death blow to Canada’s feminist foreign policy while attending the G20 summit in South Africa last weekend... 🔗 www.cips-cepi.ca/2025/11/28/t...

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Nov 25
Canada's feminist foreign policy was always more of a slogan than an actual policy. But it is still a bad sign that it was just officially jettisoned. Read my analysis here: www.mcleodgroup.ca/2025/11/the-...
The demise of Canada’s feminist foreign policy - The McLeod Group
McLeod Group blog by Stephen Brown, November 25, 2025 Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered the death blow to Canada’s feminist foreign policy while attending the G20 summit in South Africa a couple of...
www.mcleodgroup.ca

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Nov 23
Other than the Feminist International Assistance Policy, there wasn't much of a FFP in more than name

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Nov 23
It's official, folks. Canada has abanadoned its feminist foreign policy www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
No more feminist foreign policy, Carney says
Prime Minister, who made the comments at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, has placed less emphasis on feminist policies than the Trudeau government
www.theglobeandmail.com

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Nov 16
Excellent commentary by Val Percival on the reasons the importance of foreign aid for Canada opencanada.org/when-buildin... @npsia.bsky.social
When Building Canada Strong, Don’t Forget About Soft Power - Open Canada
In an increasingly complex world, Canada’s aid program is not a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a ‘need to have.’
opencanada.org

Reposted by Stephen Brown

cepi-cips.bsky.social
CIPS / CÉPI @cepi-cips.bsky.social · Nov 10
📢New blog by @stephenbrown.bsky.social - The World Needs Less Canada?

Does the world need less Canada? One might think so, reading last week’s federal budget... 🔗 www.cips-cepi.ca/2025/11/10/t...

Reposted by Stephen Brown

liamswiss.bsky.social
Liam Swiss @liamswiss.bsky.social · Nov 10
Excellent commentary from @stephenbrown.bsky.social on the McLeod Group Blog about Canada's ill-timed cuts to its global aid responsibilities:

"The World Needs Less Canada?"

www.mcleodgroup.ca/2025/11/the-...
The world needs less Canada? - The McLeod Group
McLeod Group blog by Stephen Brown, November 10, 2025 Does the world need less Canada? One might think so, reading last week’s federal budget. The cuts to foreign aid and how they are justified sugges...
www.mcleodgroup.ca

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Nov 5
More on Canada cutting its aid budget www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...
Ottawa cutting foreign aid and research spending back to pre-pandemic level
The Carney government says it is cutting foreign aid spending to a level in line with Canada’s pre-pandemic aid allocations — without specifying the size of this year’s aid budget.
www.ctvnews.ca

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Nov 5
Canada is cutting its aid budget www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
Canadian aid cuts will bite deeply in global crisis zones, relief agencies say
Ottawa will impose the $2.7-billion foreign aid cut over the next four years
www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Stephen Brown

cnca-rcrce.bsky.social
Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability - RCRCE @cnca-rcrce.bsky.social · Oct 28
Canadians call for a strong and independent CORE to investigate Canadian corporate abuse abroad.

Instead, the government has left the position vacant. Signals suggest that the government may be planning to quietly close down the office.

👉 cnca-rcrce.ca/why-is-core-...
Canadians want our companies to conduct their business abroad responsibly. WHY is the position of Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise still VACANT?

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Oct 28
Advocates call on Carney to keep his promise to not cut foreign aid in budget 🌍 www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...
Advocates call on Carney to keep his promise to not cut foreign aid in budget
With Mark Carney’s first ever federal budget just over a week away, international development advocates are calling on the prime minister to keep his pre-election pledge to uphold foreign aid funding.
www.ctvnews.ca

Reposted by Stephen Brown

drkristopherwells.bsky.social
Dr. Kristopher Wells @drkristopherwells.bsky.social · Oct 8
Sign the new House of Commons e-petition calling on the Government of Canada to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ people worldwide and reaffirm Canada’s role as a safe haven.

Thank you to MP Rob Oliphant for sponsoring this important petition.

www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

Reposted by Stephen Brown

pgi-wpsa.bsky.social
Politics, Groups and Identities @pgi-wpsa.bsky.social · Aug 21
📢 Brown examines how LGBTQI+ activists in Mauritius challenged colonial-era sodomy laws through strategic litigation, pushing for rights in a system that celebrates multiculturalism but marginalizes queerness.

🔗 Read more: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Escaping the multicultural trap: strategic litigation and the decriminalization of same-sex relations in Mauritius
Mauritius is widely praised for policies that have minimized tensions between ethno-religious groups. Other types of groups, however, are excluded from that sociopolitical ordering of society. In p...
www.tandfonline.com

Reposted by Stephen Brown

mybisa.bsky.social
BISA - British International Studies Association @mybisa.bsky.social · Aug 19
Wanting something new to listen to? 🎉
Our Global Politics and Development WG convenors Melita Lazell and Ivica Pertrikova have a podcast series - Global Aid Rethink! 🌎

Ft: @tamsinbradley.bsky.social @jacktaggart.bsky.social @stephenbrown.bsky.social & more 🌟

Find all eps here 👉
Global Politics and Development Articles
Our aim is to assemble a community of scholars who research and/or teach on issues of politics and ‘development’. The group seeks to foster critical reflection on the concept of 'development', with…
buff.ly

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · Aug 13
At a time when LGBTQI+ rights are under attack around the world, some countries are decriminalizing same-sex relations. My analysis of the case of Mauritius is now available on the Politics, Groups, and Identities journal website. Free to download. 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ 🌍 doi.org/10.1080/2156...
Journal article "Escaping the multicultural trap: strategic: litigation and the decriminalization of same-sex relations in Mauritius", by Stephen Brown, University of Ottawa. Abstract: Mauritius is widely praised for policies that have minimized tensions between ethno-religious groups. Other types of groups, however, are excluded from that sociopolitical ordering of society. In particular, LGBTQI+ Mauritians have long been stigmatized and criminalized by an anti-sodomy law, enacted by the British colonial administration. Despite a reputation for a strong commitment to human rights, the Mauritian government never repealed that law. Drawing in large part on interviews with LGBTQI+ activists in Mauritius, this article analyzes how and why they challenged that anti-sodomy law in court, what they achieved and what the implications are. It argues that the state’s and political parties’ emphasis on traditional cultures made it difficult to convince the government to act, leaving strategic litigation as the best option for getting LGBTQI+ rights recognized. Grounded primarily in constitutionally guaranteed rights and harnessing support from international nonstate actors, their court cases succeeded in carving out greater space for LGBTQI+ rights within the conservative multicultural framework, even though the verdict was rather limited in scope. Significant pressure will be needed to achieve more political and social change, potentially including more strategic litigation, which poses a significant challenge to LGBTQI+ activists.

Reposted by Stephen Brown, Richard Price, Stuart J. Turnbull‐Dugarte

apsa.bsky.social
APSA @apsa.bsky.social · Aug 8
Phillip Ayoub and Kristina Stoeckl Receive the 2025 Sage/CQ Press Award for “The Global Fight Against LGBTI Rights”

The Sage/CQ Press Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor both research-based projects and those that may involve activism that has…
Phillip Ayoub and Kristina Stoeckl Receive the 2025 Sage/CQ Press Award for “The Global Fight Against LGBTI Rights”
The Sage/CQ Press Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor both research-based projects and those that may involve activism that has focused on advancing social justice and addressing inequality and inequity in society. Citation from the Award Committee: This is a scholarly intervention in the literature on LGBTQI rights that is on the level of the contributions of scholars such as Barrington Moore and Theda Skocpol.
politicalsciencenow.com

Reposted by Stephen Brown

drcompton.bsky.social
Yourqueerprof @drcompton.bsky.social · Jun 12
#MorningReads There are at least 34 documented stories of transgender saints’ lives from the early centuries of Christianity & at least 3 gained widespread popularity in medieval Europe: St. Eugenia, St. Euphrosyne and St. Marinos. #translivesmatter #notallchristiansareantitrans #transpride
Christianity has long revered saints who would be called ‘transgender’ today
There are at least 34 documented stories of transgender saints’ lives, three of which had widespread popularity in medieval Europe.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Stephen Brown

lseblogs.bsky.social
LSE Blogs @lseblogs.bsky.social · Jun 7
The #UK government is U-turning on its campaign promise to raise #ForeignAid to 0.7%t of GNI & will instead cut it to 0.3%.

Is this rebranding of aid as charity an attempt to dodge international responsibility?

@glorianovovic.bsky.social‬ @lsegender.bsky.social‬ for @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social‬
The Government rebranded aid as charity to dodge international responsibility - British Politics and Policy at LSE
The Government's new framing of foreign aid as charity is a gross misrepresentation of the UK's domestic and international commitments
blogs.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by Stephen Brown

mybisa.bsky.social
BISA - British International Studies Association @mybisa.bsky.social · May 27
‪🌟 The second week of 'Global Aid Rethink' podcast from our Global Politics and Development convenors is out now! 🌟

Looking at how aid operates as soft — and sometimes hard — power w/
@stephenbrown.bsky.social‬ and Rose Worden 🎉

Check it out! -
Global Aid Rethink - Episode 2- Global Politics and Development | BISA
- Global Politics and Development Working Group
buff.ly

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · May 26
Want to propose a paper for a panel on "Sexual and gender minorities, humanitarian action and the Triple Nexus" at the World Humanitarian Studies Conference? Submit an abstract online. The panel will be in Bergen (Norway), Oct. 15-17. conference.ihsa.info/proposed-pan... #IHSAConference2025 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️
Sexual and gender minorities, humanitarian action and the Triple Nexus - IHSA Conference
The International Humanitarian Studies Association is a network engaged with the study of humanitarian crises caused by natural disaster, conflict or political instability.
conference.ihsa.info

Reposted by Stephen Brown

ldobsonhughes.bsky.social
Lauren Dobson-Hughes @ldobsonhughes.bsky.social · May 23
Canada’s creation of a Secretary of State for international development doesn’t appear to be legal. S4 of the DFATD Act that created the department says a Minister must be appointed laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/f-2...

stephenbrown.bsky.social
Stephen Brown @stephenbrown.bsky.social · May 8
I was a guest on the Global Aid Rethink podcast, talking about international power relationships and the recent shocks to the foreign aid system. You can have a listen to our conversation at open.spotify.com/episode/7JAH... or podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...
Global Aid Rethink: Aid as Soft Power
Global Aid Rethink · Episode
open.spotify.com